Monday Morning Quarterback Week 6

Matchup

The Good

The Bad

Tennessee Titans

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Titans got just what they wanted to out of Matt Hasselbeck. The backup quarterback kept the Titans in the game and he threw for 290 yards and kept drives alive. The key for Hasselbeck is not turning the ball over and he did not do that. Ben Roethlisberger took advantage of a soft Tennessee secondary and threw for 363 yards.

Roethlisberger got off to a sensational start when he threw an 82-yard TD pass to Mike Wallace in the first quarter. He did not throw another scoring pass the rest of the way.

Carson Palmer showed no fear against the undefeated Falcons and threw for 353 yards. He was decisive throughout most of the game he threw a sharp touchdown pass late in the second quarter to Denarius Thomas. Matt Ryan made several mistakes, but he never lost control and led the game-winning drive that resulted in Matt Bryant’s 55-yard field goal.

Ryan was not overly sharp and he only threw one touchdown pass while tossing three interceptions. Palmer made a terrible throw when his fourth-quarter pass was picked off and returned 79 yards for a touchdown by Asante Samuel.

Tony Romo had an excellent bounce-back game after throwing five interceptions against Chicago in Week Four. Romo threw for 261 yards and his fourth-quarter TD pass to wide receiver Dez Bryant was perfect. Romo threw a similar pass to Bryant on the ensuing two-point conversion, but he dropped the ball. Joe Flacco hit Torrey Smith with a TD pass just before halftime and he did not throw an interception.

It was a dull game for Flacco. While he has taken steps and didn’t do anything that would have caused his team to lose the game, he did not make the bold plays that he has been noted for this season.

Brandon Weeden stepped up and led the Browns to their first victory of the season. While he may never be a star, Weeden threw for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns. He kept his mistakes to a minimum and only threw one interception. The Bengals played from behind most of the game and Andy Dalton threw for 381 yards.

After losing at home to the Miami Dolphins in Week Five, the Bengals could not shake the depression. Much of that falls on Dalton, who threw three interceptions. Dalton was under pressure throughout the game and he was sacked twice while fumbling once.

The Dolphins are one of the least talented teams in football, but they are 3-3 and in a four-way tie for first place in the AFC East. Much of that goes to Ryan Tannehill who is not making many mistakes for a rookie quarterback. He threw two TD passes and was not picked off. St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford threw for 315 yards and nearly led his team to a late comeback.

Tannehill is a pleasant surprise at this point, but he is not a prolific passer. He only threw for 185 yards and he fumbled once. Bradford could not throw a touchdown pass, although he did complete a two-point conversion pass in the fourth quarter.

New York Giants

Indianapolis Colts

Can you say game manager? Offensive coordinator Tony Sparano gave Mark Sanchez a conservative gameplan and he followed it perfectly. Sanchez did not make any mistakes and he threw two first-half TD passes to lead the Jets to the easy win.

The Jets simply gave in and basically removed the pass from the gameplan. Sanchez completed 11-of-18 passes for 82 yards. Indianapolis rookie quarterback could not get it done against a desperate team while playing on the road. He threw for 280 yards, but he did not have a touchdown and he had two interceptions. Luck was sacked four times and he lost one fumble.

Matthew Stafford did not have a brilliant statistical game, but he led the Lions on a fourth quarter comeback in which he seemed to rediscover the Pro Bowl form he had last year. He threw for 311 yards, threw for a fourth-quarter touchdown and he also ran for one.

Michael Vick is a troubled quarterback at this point in his career. He continues to be plagued by turnovers. He threw two more interceptions against the Lions and he also fumbled the ball. Insiders report that Vick will be shown the door in Philadelphia if the Eagles don’t make the playoffs.

The Bucs were clearly the better team and Josh Freeman was sensational. He threw for 328 yards, bought time in the pocket with his athleticism and he took advantage of the Chiefs’ generous secondary. Freeman threw three TD passes and only one interception.

Backup quarterback Brady Quinn cannot be held responsible for the Chiefs’ problems, but he was not able to turn the situation around. He threw for 180 yards and two interceptions and struggled to run the Kansas City offense with any consistency.

The Bills steadied the ship after horrendous losses to the Patriots and 49ers. Ryan Fitzpatrick was not overly impressive, but he did not turn the ball over and that had been a huge problem.

Blaine Fitzpatrick missed several key throws and only threw for 153 yards. Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb continued to struggle and only threw for 128 yards before he had to come out of the game in the fourth quarter with a rib injury. Backup John Skelton appeared nervous and quite inept once he took over for Kolb.

Seattle Seahawks

New England Patriots

Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson came alive in the fourth quarter and threw two TD passes, including the game-winner to Sidney Rice late in the fourth quarter. Wilson threw 3 TDs and did not throw an interception. Tom Brady threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots offense moved the ball up and down the field.

Brady made several mistakes that all played a role in the loss to the Seahawks. His intentional grounding penalty late in the first half cost the Patriots a field goal attempt. He also threw two interceptions that gave life to the Seahawks.

In a game that meant more to the 49ers than it did to the Giants, Eli Manning ran the New York offense with precision and expertise. He completed 15-of-28 passes for 193 yards and hit wideout Victor Cruz with a bullet of a TD pass.

After a brilliant start this season, Alex Smith tried to force the ball into tight coverage against the Giants and was awful. He threw three interceptions and did not throw a touchdown pass. Smith will have to shake this game out of his system quickly since the Niners play in the Thursday night game against Seattle.

A jaw-dropping performance by Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III a week after taking a head shot. Griffin threw for 182 yards and a touchdown, but he dominated the game with his running. He clinched the game with his fourth-quarter 76-yard TD run and he also had one other scoring run. Christian Ponder threw for 352 yards since the Vikings were in the comeback mode throughout the game.

Ponder was keeping it clean earlier in the season and avoiding turnovers. He threw two interceptions against the Redskins, including one that was returned 24 yards for a touchdown by Madieu Williams in the fourth quarter. Ponder also lost one fumble.

Aaron Rodgers silenced all his doubters with a spectacular performance against the previously undefeated Texans. Rodgers completed 24-of-37 passes for 338 yards with 6 TDs and no interceptions. His offensive line gave up 2.0 sacks to pass-rushing sensation J.J. Watt, but otherwise protected him well.

The cool precision of the Houston Texans’ offense was not on display against the Packers. Matt Schaub was under pressure throughout the game and he failed to throw a touchdown pass. He was sacked three times and he threw two interceptions.